“Which one of you is paying tonight?” I asked.
Lord Arnaf, the one I had made the deal with for tonight, got up from the cushions. He was young, barely twenty. The only nephew of a royal councilor in Kalmena, he wasn’t a stranger to finer things. However, since he wasn’t a member of the royal court himself, his access to the royalsaraiwas limited. He wanted more joy, and I had offered it to him. Butonlyto him.
“We all will pay,” Lord Arnaf replied. “We’ll split the price between the six of us. You will get the whole sum as agreed.”
I shook my head. “Our agreement was with you only.”
“What difference does it make?” He shrugged. “She has sixleilathas. We’ll use one tendril each.”
I didn’t need to look at Elaine by the entrance behind me. I sensed her unease on my skin.
“No,” I repeated. “That wasn’t what we agreed on. We’re leaving.”
I spun my chair around, turning toward the exit.
Elaine nodded, looking relieved. In the past two weeks, we’d learned enough about each other to communicate without words if something didn’t feel right. The unexpected deviations from the initial agreement often led to more trouble than it was worth.
Two guards suddenly blocked our exit, crossing their spears in front of our faces.
“Get out of the way,” I gritted through my teeth, resting my hand on the handle of one of my throwing knives strapped to my thigh under my cloak.
The sound of swords drawn swished behind me.
There were six lords here, all young, spoiled, and stupid. I had also counted four guards and four servants when we came in. There might be more in other tents or outside. I’d fight them all without hesitation to protect Elaine.
But would I win?
A decade ago, I wouldn’t doubt that the outcome would be in my favor. I used to be a highly skilled warrior, trained to fight for the queen since I was a child.
Now, I was only half of the man I used to be. Dread chilled my heart. If they overpowered me, they might take Elaine. And then what would happen to her?
The soft sound of her clearing her throat came from beside me.
“Double the price, and I’ll take all six of you,” Elaine said.
Her voice didn’t shake but sounded slightly higher than usual. She was nervous but hid it well. I ventured a quick glance at her, momentarily tearing my stare away from the guards by the entrance.
Elaine stood straight, her spine stiff as a rod. Her hands fisted at her side. Her feet planted wide. She squinted at the faces of the men before her, probably trying to make out their expressions in the candlelight.
“Double? But that wasn’t what we agreed on.” Lord Arnaf pouted like the petulant child he was.
“Six men instead of one wasn’t what we agreed on either. Yet here you all are,” she retorted quickly. “You want to divide the price by six? Fine, but it’s not going to make me happy. If it’s my happiness you're after, double that. That way, each of you willstill pay far less than the whole sum, and I’ll get twice what I thought I would, which will make me very happy.”
She smiled sweetly, and my chest filled with pride for her. Standing there, with her body tense like a string, this small human woman faced six noble fae who’ve never heard the word “no” in their lives. Not only was she holding her own against them all, but she also dared negotiate too.
Lord Arnaf’s jaw dropped. One of his friends scratched his ear while sprawling on the cushions. Another one fidgeted with the precious stones of his chest necklace.
“Well, we have come all this way…” the third boy pondered out loud, playing with a lock of his long hair.
“You promised me joy,” the fourth lord whined. “I’m the only one who’s never been to the queen’ssarai. It’s not fair.”
“Will you pay twice as much then, Darfin?” Lord Arnaf asked.
“It’s not really twice, is it?” his friend countered with a casual wave of a hand. “It’s still only a third of what I would pay if I came here alone.”
Their other friend tossed the long strand of his hair behind his shoulder, getting up from the cushions.
“Darfin has no care about money, but I need to know…” he said slowly, sauntering toward Elaine. “Are you worth what you’re asking for? How good is your pleasure, Sweet One?”
